Sprite Mixes it Up with Lebron

Few people are cool enough to merit their own theme song. But even if you're not one of those people, you can still get a nice consolation prize in the form of Lebron James' 23:23 contest, which calls on would-be DJs and beatmasters to mix their very own soundtrack for the King's new Sprite TV spot from Crispin Porter + Bogusky. AKQA handled the online component of the contest, which includes the Studio Mixer—a virtual mixing board with intricate, realistic controls that visitors can use to craft their musical masterpieces. "Simply put, you can edit the song in real-time," says executive creative director PJ Pereira. "There are 182 samples, a sound preview for each sample, 8-track playback, real-time volume and pan manipulation for each track, draw graph automation with your mouse, volume scrub, synchronized video playback, keyboard hotkeys, solo and mute options. It sounds complicated, but at the end of the day, it's a fun and pretty easy experience—and the songs really all sound different." Once you're finished, the resulting mix can be uploaded to the Listen Lab, where visitors can check out the efforts of their competitors and vote for who wins the privilege of recording their ode-to-Lebron in an actual studio.